


defenceless [l+h]

by softashley



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softashley/pseuds/softashley
Summary: Small town coffee shop owner Louis Tomlinson meets world renowned musician Harry Styles. While they seemingly instantly connect, they are face with many obstacles to overcome, the biggest being Harry's management team who seem to think that their relationship is one big game that they can control and make a mockery out of. When Harry's forced into a faux relationship with a woman, will it be just enough to tear the boys apart? or make them even stronger?
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Liam Payne
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi, lovelies. i'm finally getting back into writing now that I have a little bit more time on my hands. I've been eager to do some one shots too, so if you have any ideas please do not hesitate to reach out! xo

“Lou!”

Niall’s voice rang out through the café as the bell jingled above his blonde head. The male fidgeted with his apron as he ran behind the long counter.

“You’re late,” 

A small whiney noise left Niall’s lips as he leaned against the counter for a moment. Louis’ dainty hands continued to make the cappuccino for the woman at their counter as Niall pondered what excuse to use this time. 

“Save it, Ni.” He sighed gently before leaning towards the male. “Nice hickey,” A soft smirk outlined the brunettes lips as he turned around to the redheaded femme. “Here you go, have a nice day!” He smiled before waving goodbye to the woman. Lou turned back around before leaning against the counter. Niall was still flushed beet red at the comment of the love bite that overtook his clavicle. 

“Look! You have no right to judge me,” Pouting like a toddler, Niall crossed his arms over his chest before proceeding to do a matter-of-fact nod. Lou let out a breathy laugh as he ran a cloth over the countertop before he shook his head. “Judge? Nah. Jealous that you’re getting more action than I am? Maybe.” Niall quirked an eyebrow as he leaned his hip against the counter.

“Lou, I’ve told you before, any guy would be lucky to have you and if I was such a bottom ass hoe, I’d hit you up in a heartbeat.” Louis rolled his eyes before Niall leaned up. “I'm serious though! You’re beautiful, plus you own a whole fucking coffee shop. Who wouldn’t love the family discount.” He grinned as Louis scrunched up his nose slightly. 

“Get to work, you ass.” Lou spoke, fondness in his eyes as he did. The blonde mock saluted him before disappearing to the other end of the counter. Exhaling softly, Louis ran a swift finger under his fringe as he cleared his throat. Wiping down the rest of the counter, he threw the towel over his shoulder; the sound of that same little brass bell jingling again. He must've gotten preoccupied by cleaning behind the counter, the sound of someone clearing their throat made him practically jump out of his skin.

A silky smooth voice that accompanied a soft laugh spoke. “M’sorry, didn’t mean to scare you there.” Louis looked up and instantly felt a parchment overcome his being. “N-no, It’s totally fine. Honestly. What can I get you?” He smiled gently as he let that towel on his shoulder fall to the linoleum floor. The man grinned so beautifully that it was honestly making Louis weak in the knees, fear that he would collapse much like the hand towel was evident in the way his left hand had to grip onto the smooth edge of the countertop. 

“Let me get a hot chocolate.”

Lou suppressed his laugh as he tilted his head, slight confusion written on his face. The man’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Louis. “What’s s’funny?” Lou covered his mouth as a laugh left his lips. “Nothing - I just, it’s kind of cute that you come into a coffee shop for hot chocolate.” The other male flushed slightly before he too let out a gentle laugh. “Well, I suppose you’re right,” Louis waved him over as he turned to begin making the hot chocolate. He peered over to see his name tag before smiling that same dazzling grin. “Louis.. That’s cute. It suits you. I’m Harry.” It was now Louis’ turn to flush as he set the cup down infront of the male. “Well, Harry.. This is on the house.” Harry continued to grin, dimples shining through as he did. “Well, maybe I’ll have to treat you to a coffee sometime.” With a wink, he turned around and disappeared into the afternoon traffic. 

Standing there for a moment, Louis was actually struggling to accrue his thoughts, his thought process currently all over the fucking place. “Louis!” Niall hissed, practically running towards him. “That was Harry fucking Styles, you knob! Harry Styles was flirting with you and you didn’t bag his number?” Louis furrowed his brows, his body turning toward the blonde. “What are you goin’ on about, Niall? Am I supposed to know who exactly he is?” 

While Louis acted as though he was completely oblivious to the tall lad flirting with him, he couldn’t contain the smile that was plastered across his features. “You knob!” Niall repeated, ready to knock Louis upside the head. “He’s famous. A singer. As many times as I’ve gone on about his friend Liam, you haven’t picked up on the fact that Harry is sex on legs?” Lou rolled his eyes as he untied the apron from behind his back. “Okay, Ni. I get it. Now don’t forget to lock up tonight.” He told him as he shoved the apron in the cubby underneath the counter. 

Slinging his bag over his shoulders, he exited his café, mind still focused on the tattooed man from earlier. Harry Styles. If he was so famous then why did he come to his hole in the wall coffee shop whenever there was a Starbucks practically next door? 

DING.

Pulling his phone from his back pocket, he was already rolling his eyes at Niall’s name who had lit up across his screen. 

‘I can get his number, just say the word.” 

Inhaling softly, he stopped in his tracks with his heart pounding rhythmically in his ears. Should he? What would a famous singer want with him? Maybe a pity date to make for good publicity but that’s honestly about it. He could see the headlines now. 

‘Fine. Don’t make me regret this.”


	2. Chapter 2

“So, a little birdie told me that you haven’t called Styles yet.” Niall spoke, mouth full of potato chips as he bounced down on Louis’ leather couch. The petite brunette rolled his eyes as he looked back to scrolling his phone. “You know, this is a huge opportunity, Lou. It’s Harry fucking Styles. Do you understand what that means? He’s famous. FAMOUS, Lou.” Louis finally cut him off, hand held up to silence him. “The fame means nothing to me, Niall. It only adds to the whole ‘out of my league’ thing.” Now it was Niall’s turn to roll his eyes. 

“Shit, my phones dead and I said I’d call my mum, can I borrow yours?” Louis sighed gently as he surrendered his phone to the irish male. “Wait, no.” He could see the glint of mischief in the male’s eyes as soon as the phone was in his grasp. “Niall! Don’t you fucking dare!” The blonde grinned widely as he jumped up from the couch to run around Louis’ flat as he clicked on Harry’s number. “Niall, you motherfuc-’ Before he could finish, Harry’s voice filled the room with a soft,”Hello?” Snatching the phone from Niall, his heart began to race. “U-uh, hey! I’m not sure if you remember me. It’s Louis.. From the coffee shop a couple of days ago?” 

Harry acted as though he was pondering for a moment, ”I’m not sure if I recall..” This caused Lou’s heart to drop, disappointment sinking in. “O-oh, well that’s okay -’ A soft laugh filled the line before Harry spoke once again. “I’m only joking, darling. How could I ever forget those gorgeous blues?” Louis instantly looked up at Niall, who had a wide mouth. “How about I make that coffee up to you that I promised? Maybe turn it into a dinner?” Louis bit down on his lower lip, eyes frantically looking to Niall. Niall then motioned for him to answer, his eyes wide as he did. 

“U-uh yes! I would love to. I mean - that sounds good.” He stumbled over his words, leaving Harry to laugh once more. “Okay, love. Just text me your address, okay? I’ll pick you up at eight.” Louis smiled sheepishly as he replied with a simple, ”Okay, see you soon..” 

When the call ended, Louis sank to the floor, overwhelmed. “Oh my god, Lou. You just got a date with Harry Styles!” The blonde almost seemed ever more ecstatic than the actual person going on a date. “Does this mean.. There’s gonna be like, paps?” Louis questioned, his brows furrowing. “What if I ruin his image? Is he even out, Niall?” He was firing off questions before Niall gripped both sides of his face gently. “Lou. Calm down. He wouldn’t ask you out on a date if he didn’t think that it was okay - or if he didn’t want to. Just breathe and go put on a nice pair of jeans that perk up your lil’ ass.” Louis shoved him playfully before standing up from the rug. 

It had been close to an hour before Niall and he had both decided on an outfit. A pair of ripped black skinnies, a black V-neck, and a pair of chucks. Simple, but effective. Niall grinned as he nodded in approval. “Nice. Now go get your man.” Lou barked out a small laugh as he made his way to the living room, Harry honking just in time. Letting out a shaky, anxiety ridden breath, Niall gave him a reassuring smile. “You’ve got this, Lou.. I promise you.


	3. Chapter Three

Louis wasn’t exactly certain what he expected Harry to pull up in but it definitely was not a pearlescent Jaguar. Somehow though, it was very fitting for the popstar. This was a whole new world for Louis, just dating in general. In all honesty, it was truly his first actual date. What if he messed up? What if he somehow said the wrong thing? What if he embarrassed himself? Or worse? Embarrassed Harry? This date was going to be done underneath the watchful eye of the vultures that are the paparazzi. 

Niall’s voice rang in his ears, ‘You've got this, Lou..’

Did he though? Did he really have this? This beautiful man wanted to take him out on a date. A lone café owner with nowhere to call home. He spent his nights watching romantic comedies and singing terribly out of tune to his tabby cat, Jagger. 

After the mental battle with himself, he noticed that Harry had climbed out of the car and jogged around the other side to hold the door open for Louis. Now, this was entirely too good to be true. Before he knew it, the words were flying from his lips. 

“You’re too good to be true,” 

A breathy laugh left the man's lips as he cracked a soft, dimpled grin. “What can I say? Mama raised a gentleman.” As he stepped closer, he finally noticed Harry’s attire and while it wasn’t a formal date, the man sure did know how to dress casually, but still obtain a certain level of attractiveness in the skinnies that he wore. “Oh, I’m positive that she did,” Louis replied, scrunching his nose up a bit as he slid into the passenger’s seat. 

As they began driving down the road, Louis curiously looked over to him. “So, what is this super secretive date spot that we are venturing off to?” Harry grinned as he held onto the steering wheel. “If I told you then it wouldn’t really be a super secretive spot, now would it?” Louis made a noise of agreeance. “Hm, I suppose you’re right.” He chuckled, his head resting back against the headrest. Harry couldn’t help but allow his eyes to drift over to the petite male, his heart fluttering in his chest. 

“Okay. Here.” Harry shoved a tie towards him, Louis’ eyebrow cocking in confusion as he did. “Oh, no. Not that.” Harry chuckled softly before he placed the tie over the cerulean orbs across from him. On the surface, Harry seemed calm and composed, but in reality, he was losing his shit. His palms were sweating, his chest was heavy, and his eyes held a glint of concern that Louis wouldn’t enjoy the night that he had planned (with the help of Liam, of course). 

Harry ran around to the other side to help Louis out and he then grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers instinctively. “You aren’t gonna kill me, are you? Cause I can’t leave my cat alone.” Louis halfway joked, Harry gently rolling his eyes. “Not a chance,” 

Harry led them towards the elevator, a soft ding signaling that they made it to their floor after a moment of riding in it. “Okay, we’re almost there.” A metal door slamming shut almost caused Louis to jump out of his skin, and probably would have if Harry wasn’t right there, holding tightly to his hand. Gently, Harry slowly removed the blindfold to reveal the beautiful skyline as they stood on the roof of Harry’s hotel. “Woah,” Was all Louis could strangle out. There was two chairs at a small round table, littered with red rose petals, a bottle of champagne and two stemmed glasses, along with a ready cooked meal. 

“I hope it isn’t too entirely corny, but I wanted to make this as special as I could. Liam helped some too so I can’t really take all of the credit.” Louis smiled as Harry led them both over to the table. “It’s beautiful Harry...maybe a little corny, but that’s okay. I love corny.” Harry chuckled softly once more as he pulled out the chair for Louis before gently pushing him in. He then made his way over and poured them both a glass of champagne. 

“So, Lou. Tell me about you. I wanna know you. I wanna know everything.” Harry smiled as he sat down, taking a sip of the booze. This was a loaded question. What the hell did he even start with? My mother just died and I inherited her coffee shop? Louis cleared his throat before he laughed softly. The male pondered for a moment as he looked down at the steak on his plate. “Well, I’ve got five sisters and one brother. One sister that has passed recently along with my beautiful mother.” Harry’s face dropped momentarily before Louis quickly reassured him.

“No, please. Don’t be sad. She was sick for a long time. She isn’t in pain anymore. That being said though, I’ve taken on helping with my siblings so my step-father doesn’t have all that responsibility. I inherited the café from her. That’s why I renamed it Cuppa-Jo, in her honor,” He spoke before shaking his head with a brief laugh. “It’s a terrible name, too punny, she’d love it though.” Harry smiled softly, still laced with a small amount of pity for the male. “She was the best, truly, meant the world to all of us kids. She was a superhero.” His eyes faltered a moment before he smiled. “That’s enough about me. Tell me about you, Styles.” 

The tattooed male grinned again as his eyes lit up, excitedly. “Well, I’ve only got one sibling, a sister, Gemma. She’s amazing, I adore her. I’ve got my mum, Anne, a saint, that woman. Then my stepfather Robin - he passed a couple of years ago.” Lou gave him a sad smile as he nodded. “I'm a very big on family. It’s honestly a deal breaker for me - but you.” Harry reached for Louis’ hand over the table. “You've got this big family - you’ve taken over this hefty responsibility that should have never been left on your shoulders and here you are, absolutely killing it. It’s admirable.” 

Louis felt his eyes burn as the words hit him like a ton of bricks. “See, you can’t say sappy shit like that, gonna make me cry,” Louis let out a wet laugh as he shook his head. “It’s nothing but the truth angel,” Louis flushed gently at his words before they both had begun to eat their meals. 

The night was filled with shared laughs, funny stories, and life experiences. It was almost 12 AM before the pair knew it and they also knew that it was better to get home before it got too late. Louis was almost certain that Niall was gonna be up and waiting for his return to get the scoop on the spontaneous date. 

On Louis' porch, he and Harry stood facing each other in typical rom-com fashion as Harry’s large hand reached up to gently cup the ivory cheek of Louis. “Thank you for everything tonight, Harry.. I really had an amazing time.” Harry smiled as he nodded. “I did too, truly.” Slowly, Harry leaned in, lips placing softly against Louis’ own. Harry’s left and braced the wall behind them as Louis leaned his back flush against it. Bumping their noses together as they slowly parted, he smiled; lips slightly puffy. “We’ll do it again, angel. I’ll call you, okay?” Louis honestly couldn’t form words as he only nodded. Harry gave a wave before he made his way down the steps and to his Jaguar. 

Louis felt as if he was floating as he entered his home, only to be met by Niall and Liam doing sinful acts on his leather couch. “If you fucking rabbits don't get off of my couch!’ Liam was quick to jump up, Louis’ adored throw pillow covering the man's groin as he smiled, clearly shocked at Louis’ sudden appearance. “So sorry Lou, won’t happen again..” The tall lad quickly shuffled away, awkwardly as to not accidentally expose himself to his boyfriend's bestfriend. 

Niall grimaced gently as Louis threw daggers at the male.

“Before you murder me, do tell, how was your date?”


End file.
